People and Services That Protect Life
FoundationWhen accidents happen, ambulancemen, firefighters, police and volunteer bodies protect us together; ask for help properly, prevent accidents, and never misuse 999.
- At accidents, stay calm and secure the scene before helping.
- Ambulancemen, firefighters and police are the rescue vanguard.
- St John and the Red Cross serve with selfless devotion.
文體小知識：說明文介紹守護我們的人和機構。這一篇認識救護員、消防員、警察和志願團體，學會正確求助、珍惜救援資源。
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1On the way home, if you see someone injured in a traffic accident, what should you do? First stay calm — never crowd around or jostle, and do not move the injured casually, lest the injuries worsen. Call nearby adults for help at once, or dial 999, stating the place and the injured person's condition, then wait in a safe spot for the rescue.
2After 999 is called, the emergency services move. Ambulancemen of the Fire Services Department arrive by ambulance, checking the injured, bandaging wounds, steadying their condition and rushing them to hospital; firefighters put out fires, rescue the trapped and handle accidents and disasters; police keep order at the scene, direct traffic and protect the public. Working shifts day and night, they are the vanguard guarding life.
3Once the injured reach hospital, accident and emergency staff sort patients by urgency: the critical are treated first and the less serious wait in turn; public A and E departments open twenty-four hours. During recovery, nurses, physiotherapists and dietitians help patients regain health — each playing their part in cooperation.
4Besides government departments, many organisations help protect the public. The St John Ambulance Brigade offers first aid services and training, its aid posts familiar at big events; the Hong Kong Red Cross promotes first-aid training, blood donation and disaster relief; the Auxiliary Medical Service and Civil Aid Service back up the regular forces in major incidents. Many of their members are spare-time volunteers, training and serving after work — their selfless dedication commands respect.
5Guarding life, prevention beats first aid: home safety, road rules and proper warm-ups keep accidents down. Facing violence or abuse — bullying or harm — tell teachers, the school social worker or family service organisations, who offer protection and counselling. Remember, 999 is for emergencies only: playing with it wastes resources and delays rescue for those who truly need it.
1Summary 重點摘要
When accidents happen, ambulancemen, firefighters, police and volunteer bodies protect us together; ask for help properly, prevent accidents, and never misuse 999.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
The officer who gives emergency care to the sick and injured on the ambulance.
The officer who fights fires, rescues the trapped and handles disasters.
The officer who keeps order, protects the public and investigates cases.
The hospital department receiving emergency patients round the clock.
The voluntary body providing first aid services and training.
The humanitarian body promoting first aid, blood donation and disaster relief.
The uniformed service assisting in major incidents and mountain rescue.
The volunteer force giving medical support at big events and incidents.
The professional stationed at school helping pupils with difficulties and feelings.
A person who helps others willingly without pay.
3Step by step Steps
- Step 1: The first step at an accidentSeeing someone injured, the first step is not to rush in but to stay calm and scan the scene for danger — oncoming traffic, live wires. Then call nearby adults loudly and judge whether 999 is needed. Unless trained and certain it is safe, do not move the injured, especially those with suspected fractures or head injuries. Crowding around and filming neither helps the casualty nor keeps the rescue path clear.
- Step 2: Know the ambulancemen's workAmbulancemen belong to the Fire Services Department's Ambulance Command. After a 999 call, the ambulance rushes to the scene: they check vital signs, stop bleeding, dress wounds, immobilise fractures, give cardiopulmonary resuscitation if needed, then deliver the patient safely to hospital and brief the A and E team. Professionally trained and fully equipped, they race with sirens on — and when we hear a siren, we should clear the way too.
- Step 3: Know the firefighters and policeFirefighters do far more than fight fires: rescuing residents trapped in fires, cutting open crushed cars at accidents, clearing fallen trees after typhoons, and saving hikers stranded on hills are all their work. Police keep law and order: cordoning accident scenes, directing traffic, searching for missing people and protecting the public; for crimes or disputes they can be asked for help too. Together with the ambulance service, they form Hong Kong's emergency rescue network.
- Step 4: Know the hospital A and EWhen the injured arrive at hospital, A and E nurses triage them by urgency — critical, emergency, urgent, semi-urgent and non-urgent — so the critical are treated first, which is why earlier arrivals may wait while more critical cases go first. The department opens twenty-four hours all year. After discharge, specialist clinics, physiotherapy and community nursing follow up. For minor illness we should first see a family doctor, keeping A and E for the truly urgent.
- Step 5: Know the voluntary rescue organisationsMany voluntary bodies join rescue and service in Hong Kong. The St John Ambulance Brigade, with a long history, mans first-aid posts at big events and runs first-aid courses; the Hong Kong Red Cross promotes humanitarian work — first-aid training, blood donation and disaster relief; the Auxiliary Medical Service and the Civil Aid Service, whose members hold day jobs, train to back up the regular forces in major incidents. These devoted volunteers show that guarding life is something everyone can help with.
- Step 6: Know the support for preventing accidents and violenceThe best rescue is the accident that never happens: use electricity and fire safely at home, obey traffic lights, warm up before sport, and check routes and weather before hiking. If you face violence or abuse — long-term bullying or harm at home — never endure in silence: tell teachers or the school social worker, or turn to family service organisations and anti-abuse groups, who will protect and counsel. Seeking help is brave; silence lets harm continue.
- Step 7: Ask for help properly; never misuse 999999 is the channel for emergency rescue; used rightly, help arrives fast — state the place, what happened and the casualty's condition, and follow the operator's instructions. Prank calls and joyrides in ambulances squander precious rescue resources and delay treatment for the truly critical, and may break the law. Remember parents' phone numbers and your home address, and agree on family emergency contacts. Treasuring rescue resources and asking for help properly is the best tribute to those who guard our lives.
5Worked example Example
Example: On the way home, Tak sees two bicycles collide; a classmate sits on the ground with a bleeding knee. What should Tak do, and which people or organisations can help?
- Stay calm and make the scene safe: have others steady the bikes to prevent further collisions, and keep the crowd back.
- Call for help: ask nearby adults or shop staff at once, judge the injury, and press the knee with a clean handkerchief to stop the bleeding.
- Seek help as needed: for a light injury, accompany the classmate to a clinic or inform parents; if serious or bleeding heavily, dial 999 for an ambulance.
- When rescuers arrive: ambulancemen dress the wound and take the classmate to hospital; police can keep order and contact the parents if needed.
- Follow up: tell his own teacher and parents about the incident; the school social worker can follow up on the injured classmate.
- Answer: Tak should stay calm, secure the scene, press the wound with a clean handkerchief, and call nearby adults at once. If the injury is serious, dial 999 so ambulancemen can dress and transport the classmate, with police keeping order and contacting parents; afterwards report to the teacher and ask the school social worker to follow up. Calm, seeking help and following up — that is the right way.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1What is Hong Kong's emergency number?
Q2Which department provides the ambulance service?
Q3Name one voluntary body providing first aid.
Q4Who can help if you are bullied repeatedly?
Q5Why must we never misuse 999?
8Recap Recap
- At accidents, stay calm and secure the scene before helping.
- Ambulancemen, firefighters and police are the rescue vanguard.
- St John and the Red Cross serve with selfless devotion.
- Prevention beats first aid — safety first, fewer accidents.
- 999 is for emergencies only: ask for help properly, never misuse it.